Mother and Boyfriend Arrested After Allegedly Abandoning Children in Forest

Marine Rousseau, a 41-year-old French mother, and her boyfriend Marc Ballabriga, 55, were arrested in Portugal after allegedly abandoning Rousseau's two young sons in a forest. The couple was taken into custody on May 21, 2026, while at a café near Lisbon, two days after the incident. The boys, aged 3 and 5, were found alone and crying, approximately 125 miles from where they were left. According to Portuguese authorities, the children were initially cared for by a local resident before being transferred to a hospital, where they were reported to be in good health. Rousseau and Ballabriga face charges of child endangerment and abandonment, with Ballabriga facing an additional aggravated assault charge. The children have been placed in temporary foster care, and their biological father is working to bring them back to France. He expressed his determination to reunite with his children and emphasized the need for them to rebuild their lives.